Solid Digital

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm a partner at Catchword, a naming and branding agency founded in 1998 with offices in CA, NY, CO, and Calgary.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Solid Digital, and what were your goals?

For many years, Catchword has been the leader in brand name development. In fact, one of our proudest achievements is having been ranked the #1 naming agency here on Clutch since 2017! However, while naming is still our core capability, since our founding nearly 25 years ago, we've undergone considerable change and growth, including the addition of new services such as brand strategy, positioning, and identity/logo development.

Unfortunately, our website didn't reflect these changes or best represent the sort of agency we've become. While it was rich in content (after all, we are 25 years old), it didn't clearly signal the range of capabilities we now posses, and it wasn't visually/aesthetically consistent with the sort of top-tier creative services and branding agency we've evolved into. For this reason, we engaged Solid Digital to create a completely new website for our agency.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We went through a formal RFP process. Our original list of potential partners included around 10 digital agencies, though, ultimately, our shortlist for the RFP included 5 agencies. We solicited proposals from each, conducted interviews, and submitted follow-up questions. Right from the start, we felt a strong personal connection to the folks at Solid. Jesse, the agency's co-founder, and Jessica, the agency's Engagement Manager, were both extremely personable, responsive, and eager to answer our questions and ensure we understood their process and way of working, including steps, team composition, deliverables, etc. In addition, they showed a genuine interest in understanding our business, the space in which we compete, and fed the information back to us, to demonstrate an active curiosity about the work we do and who are as people and as a firm. In short, they came across very earnest and very professional, and we felt really confident that they would do a great job on the project.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Rather than attempt to summarize a six-month long project and the myriad steps involved (which, honestly, would be challenging for me to do at this point), I'll just say that Solid was exceptional at managing the process, and that this is just one of the many ways in which I would say they really shine—that is, taking control of a very complex, multi-phased process and confidently guiding their client through it.

Completely reimagining and redeveloping a site with 25 years of content (not to mention, a degree of repositioning) is so much more than a creative exercise. It requires a tremendous attention to detail, and an organizational ability to track not just innumerable pieces of information, content types, web elements, etc., but the feedback being provided by the client and whether that feedback has been addressed or still needs to be addressed.

While we've redone our website several times since our founding 25 years ago, this project really drove home for me just how important a digital agency's organizational skills are—they're "process"—to the success of a project of this sort, and Solid has these skills in aces.

Now, in terms of specific process steps, but taking an enormously broad stroke to them, they included:

- An initial strategy phase, including multiple work sessions, to understand our agency and goals for the new site, including target clients and the sort of "journey" we want to take them on—i.e., the information we feel will be most important and helpful to them in order to drive their outreach.

This phase also included discussions around general positioning and how to better reflect it on the site, SEO considerations, and the introduction of wireframes mapping out our new site's page and information architecture, as well as style boards to gain insight into our team's stylistic preferences. Overall, a very thorough initial strategy phase!

A "Create" phase during which Solid developed several key page design concepts for our review and reaction. It was during this phase that we all agreed on one visual style that would inform the development of all of our key pages (I believe there were 13 of them) and form the basis for the site's overall look and feel. Naturally, there were multiple rounds to fine tune certain elements and address stylistic preferences.

After we had agreed and perfected the overall look and feel of the site, Solid began to actually develop the pages, building them out using Elementor, their preferred CMS. Again, plenty of work sessions, feedback provided in weekly check-in meetings and via Basecamp and feedback tracking sheets, etc. Throughout, Solid kept the process moving forward smoothly and barely lost track of a single detail.

Once the site, including all key and secondary pages, had been developed, Solid educated us on the use of Elementor (a new CMS for us) and prepared for launch, including developing various graphical assets consistent with our site for use in site announcement email campaigns and on social media. Naturally, there were several rounds of testing to make sure the site was functioning properly and presenting well on all devices and screen sizes—i.e., to make sure it was responsive.

This was a somewhat collaborative exercise, though we understood that Solid had checked, double-checked, and triple-checked everything to make sure there wouldn't be any surprises at launch. Again, a really broad stroke, and I'm happy to speak with prospective clients of Solid looking for greater detail into their process and how it worked out for us. In short, it worked beautifully.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

I have to say, I was pretty darn impressed with the number of professionals and resources Solid dedicated to our project! We're a leading agency in our space, but we're not TikTok, or Starbucks, or Volkswagen (coincidentally, a few of our clients). The folks we communicated with the most and with whom we met weekly included:

• Mackenzie, Project Manager. Mackenzie was our primary point of contact and truly deft at keeping the project on schedule, humming along. In six months, I don't think she overlooked or mischaracterized a single piece of feedback we provided or failed to communicate something to the creative folk.
• Derek, Creative Director. Derek was awesome. A great creative partner in so many ways. Smart, strategic, responsive, directive but open-minded, articulate in explaining the team's reasoning for their creative and other recommendations, just a wonderful creative guide to have on this journey. Also, and like the rest of the Solid team, genuinely interested in delivering the best site possible and making sure we were happy with every element.
• Miguel, Web Desiger. Like Derek, a great partner to have on this project. While we don't know exactly how much creative work was developed by Derek versus Miguel (versus others, potentially) we believe Miguel was responsible for an awful lot of the actual design, and, of course, we're thrilled with where we landed. Also, and like the rest of the team, Miguel was super easy to work with, responsive and open-minded to our feedback, and extremely pleasant.

Other folks that were integrally involved in the process—and equally awesome—but whom we didn't see weekly included:

• Marla, Strategist and SEO guru. Marla helped us think through the SEO implications of our decisions and, actually, will continue to work with us on other organic and paid-search initiatives (we purchased additional support hours so that Solid can continue to maintain our site going forward, and our SEO initiatives will be a part of that ongoing support). Marla is awesome. Very knowledgeable, helpful, and extremely likable.
• Amber, Director of Production. Amber was more behind the scenes and generally only stepped in to address specific requests around process tweaks, and to ensure the core team was exceeding our expectations. Great personality, highly responsive, she seemed to provide general oversight of the project.
• Diana, Director of Experiences. Even more so than Amber, Diana's primary role it seemed was to ensure they had a happy on their hands (and they did!), and to help address any concerns our team might've had at any point. To that end, she solicited periodic feedback via online surveys to gain real-time insight into how things were going from the *client* perspective. A smart add-on to their process that would allow their team to pivot mid-project if necessary and based on our input, which we might've felt more comfortable providing via the online form and anonymously, rather than in meetings with the core team. Like everyone else, super friendly, responsive, and client-oriented.
• Peter, Director of Technology. Peter probably had a much bigger role throughout the project but we only got to know him toward the end of the project, as go-live drew closer. In addition to dealing with the actual site development, Peter was extremely helpful in resolving a post-launch, somewhat mysterious (!) email issue we were having. In addition to getting to the bottom of it and taking care of the problem, he was extremely pleasant to work with.

Speaking generally, like any good company or agency that's focused on culture, Solid seems to attract like-minded professionals with shared characteristics and values. Everyone on the team is really smart, professional but very personable, expert but collaborative, highly client-centric, and genuinely passionate about their work and the outcomes.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

We just launched our site a week ago and already it's receiving high praise from clients, colleagues, and agency partners. Everyone agrees, it's an enormous step up and step forward for us and our online presence. Solid really did an amazing job of granting all our design wishes. That is, we wanted a site that reflects our creative spirit and acumen (so, a "creative" looking site) but not feel boutique (because our clients are Fortune 100 companies, and "creative" sites can often create the impression of a smaller agency not as suitable as partners for industry leaders, and that's not us).

We wanted it clean, but not sparse. Easily navigable, but journey-drive, so prospective clients with individual needs would be presented with the content in which we know they'll be they're most interested. We wanted it to feel fresh, modern, and distinct from all other agencies in our space, both visually and in terms of sophistication. And, in every way, Solid nailed it. Every box checked. The site is killer, both aesthetically and functionally, and our whole team is extremely excited and proud of what Solid produced for us.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

I believe I probably covered this sufficiently in my other responses, but to summarize, Solid is truly one of the most organized, process-oriented, and communicative teams we've ever worked with. Completely on top of their sh*t, always keeping you in the know about next steps and upcoming milestones, nudging when necessary but always in a respectful and professional way, etc. Much of this has to do with their process, how well structured, thought out, and tested it is, and a good deal of it has to do with their PM, Mackenzie, who ensures there are no "blocks" that might impede progress or otherwise delay the project. Oh, and they didn't miss a single deadline in six months (and there were many deadlines).

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

I guess I started this review by acknowledging that, in my experience, this sort of massive website overhaul and complete "rethink" requires a combination of great creative vision, attention to detail, organization, and process rigor. Our site has literally thousands of pages and a degree of complexity that you might not expect from a creative services agency. Having a great design sense, while critical to delivering a knockout-looking website (and certainly something Solid possesses and excels at), is not enough to be successful on a project such as ours.

It requires a high level of strategic thinking, an enormous amount of process and structure, a serious attention to detail, and an appreciation for the importance of customer journeys and the way visitors will and should interact with your site.

It's really hard to put my finger on what impressed me most about Solid. Ultimately, I think it was the combination of all these critical skills, experiences, and agency characteristics.

They're this really beautiful blend of design chops, process rigor, and warm personalities. As a testament to how we feel about the collaboration and the work they did (and as I previously noted), we've already signed on for an additional support plan and will continue to work with them going forward.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Anything would be hyper nitpicky. They're awesome and we'd hire them again for sure.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

President / CEO of small e-commerce business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Solid Digital, and what were your goals?

We needed a development partner that was able to help build a custom workflow management system while also maintaining the health + upgrades required for our Magento platform.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

Met with the owner through same organization at the time. He came recommended.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

SD was in responsible for customizing a backend workflow, hosting, website maintenance, some redesign projects, updates on security patches, other adhoc projects and website migration from 1.9 to 2.3 on Magento.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

I had worked and spoken with at least 10 representatives on the team from the owner Jesse to several developers etc... some who are no longer part of the team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Generally, the projects were close to on time or within 1-1.5 month of discussed timeline. In terms of quality, the beginning was good when they had talent capable of Magento development. When that person left SD, the quality of their deliverables were below average at best. I was told many of the the features I needed for our website were not possible unless you fully customize xyz; when in fact it wasn't true. Now, after having an agency that specializes in Magento, I realize that these "customizable features" can be plugs in or apps already available in the Magento marketplace such as adjustable shipping charts, showing production timelines in listings etc...

This ,however, wasn't my most disappointing experience. My final migration from 1.9 to 2.3 was complete disaster. Not only was it expensive, it was a requirement from Magento with a sensitive timeline. I was told when we were to migrate from 1.9 to 2.3, we would not lose any assets already customized on our backend. This was expensive and useful for our backend workflow so we needed it. Well, we lost most of our customizations while gaining a few replacement were only "close" to what our custom workflow was. Then was told I must have remembered it incorrectly.

In addition, after we migrated over to 2.3, our site kept freezing and lagging from both the front and backend. It was virtually impossible to add inventory from the backend and you can't even checkout purchases from the frontend without timing out. When confronting the owner Jesse about the issues, I was berated and gaslighted for not being appreciative of his teams efforts. What I was complaining about wasn't the customer service aspect of it, but the quality of the final delivery. Not once did he apologize or take ownership for the mistake.

My website was held hostage because I was hosting through them (a mistake I will never do again). I made my final payment after I move our website to our own AWS hosting (which needed 3 servers to be spun so that it wouldn't crash). I was harassed the entire time by the owner for withholding the payment. I refused to give the final payment until I received all my assets which I found reasonable.

For why he was so aggressive on the payment, I have no idea given I have never been late or missed on a payment in the years I've been with them. And yes, I did make the final payment as promised. I've thought long and hard on whether I should write this review and decided to do it because I don't want anyone else to experience what I have experienced. This experience is for a website on Magento platform. I don't think the team is experienced enough for this platform. With the help of an experienced Magento dev team, I am happy to report, the website runs faster, front and backend, while only spun on 1 server.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Everyone on the team had excellent bedside manners and was very personable. I didn't speak with a single person the team who was rude. If projects were late, they were normally keep me posted on it. We communicated on basecamp regularly and had bi-weekly chimes.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

I would give credit to the teams excellent communication skills and usually being timely with their responses.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Probably not have the owner Jesse address any conflicts. Any feedback or issues raised will turn into finger pointing and gaslighting. I paid for an expensive migration (which didn't need to be) that didn't function afterwards then got berated for it. I'd recommend finding a person for your team who can handle conflict with empathy. Or if you are not capable certain projects, be honest and kindly decline them. After all, honesty is your best policy.

Company Responses

The vendor responded on October 15, 2022.

Some items in this review are not fully accurate:

1. Our recommendation to upgrade Magento was based on Adobe's decision to stop supporting version 1.  Neglecting to tell them this would have been bad practice, and our team believes this was a responsibility we held to them (and any other client with an outdated/unsupported e-commerce platform).  They understood why it was important, and it was their decision to move forward.  Reference: https://business.adobe.com/blog/basics/support-magento-1-software-ends-…

2. The client was unable to make the final payment in February 2020 for the project and we set up a payment plan to accommodate their finances.  The final monthly payment was due in August 2020.  After finding a new vendor, they canceled this payment and did not communicate with us about why or when they would process it.  We made many attempts (email, voicemail, Basecamp) to reach them for an explanation. They did not respond until November, 2020 when we were finally able to schedule a discussion.   Only after this conversation was the final payment made.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Hireology is a SaaS-based company in Chicago. We provide hiring managers with the ability to attract, hire, onboard, and manage candidates through an intuitive, all-in-one platform. I am the director of marketing communications and I oversee our content, design, brand, and campaign teams.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Solid Digital?

Our current website didn’t have a cohesive look and feel to it. We had approached different designers in the past, but it still appeared as though there were five different brands on our website. We really needed the site to reflect the new positioning of our platform, so we sought Solid Digital’s help.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Solid Digital helped us restrategize the branding and build of our website. They conducted a technical analysis and SEO analysis of the site and looked into what our competitors in the space were doing. It provided us with a lot of insight into what our strengths and weaknesses were compared to similar companies. 

Once we identified those factors, their team worked closely with our in-house designer to create a visual identity that aligned with our new positioning. This involved redoing our website’s architecture, rebuilding the wireframes, and eventually developing all the technical components in the backend. They recommended that we use WordPress, which was opportune since our site was already built on it and we already had some background with the technology. 

What is the team composition?

I initially talked to Jesse (CEO & Partner) to get to know the team and their offerings. After seeing the proposal, I then interfaced with a project manager to get the process started. I met around eight different people during the course of the project, and that included a creative director, Marla (Digital Marketing Strategist), and a team of web migration specialists. 

How did you come to work with Solid Digital?

When we were looking for an agency to work with, one of our contacts — a company we’d previously worked with on video projects  — recommended Solid Digital. We included them in our proposal process, vetted them along with different agencies, and ultimately decided to hire them for this project. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invested around $95,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in August 2021, and the website was launched in February 2022. Their team is still working with us to make sure that everything is running smoothly post-launch. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Our website was launched less than ten days ago, so we have yet to get ahold of any metrics. For the most part, however, Solid Digital has helped redesign our website in a way that will help us attract, keep, and convert people online. 

How did Solid Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great and fun to work with. Their team was very responsive and quick to help us with any issue. We had weekly meetings, regular communications, and a good project management system. We also used Basecamp but relied on email and Zoom while we were getting that set up. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciate that their team got to know our brand and our company in-depth. They really looked into what sets us apart from other companies, and the fact that they had used our platform in the past was also of big help. Apart from that, everyone on their team was so sweet and nice, just willing to help us wherever they could. Those were the things that really stood out to me. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There was a bit of a hiccup where we were going back and forth on different illustrations, and I think this was due to the team not having a clear understanding of the creative direction we wanted to take. We ended up having our designer build the illustrations rather than relying on Solid Digital. Nevertheless, it was such a collaborative process and they felt like an extension to our team. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Know exactly what your team is looking for, what your goals are, and articulate that well to Solid Digital. Be willing to bound ideas off of each other through and sit through however many brainstorming sessions because that’s what made our partnership work so well.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing and sales operations for a global distribution organization that provides supply management solutions to various industries, including healthcare, commercial real estate management, food service, grocery, and packaging organizations. Product categories include janitorial supplies, food-service disposables, and printing materials.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Solid Digital?

We were in the position where our website hadn’t been significantly updated for about 10 years. The technology supporting it was beyond antiquated – really, really, really old. 10 years in terms of technology and you may as well be chiseling rock. Also, our messaging was very outdated.

Our two main goals in working with a web design company were to update our technology and messaging (around the value we provide to customers).

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They completely redesigned our website to improve customer experience, customer engagement, SEO.

We started by walking through an in-depth onboarding and discovery phase where several people from Solid Digital learned about what we needed from the engagement. Our business model is complicated, and they took time to understand how we go to market and what our value proposition is. This ensured that our website would represent who we are and how we function.

Then, they strategized about the approach, shared it to us in a presentation, and began building wireframes. We worked with their creative group here, sharing assets and key page content and collaborating on how we would make those objects accessible on the site.

The website is built on WordPress, which allows us to go into the backend and update things as necessary. Our old system required us to talk to our IT team to make changes. Now, we have complete ownership over the assets and how they appear on the website.

We’re not cutting edge when it comes to technology, so the functionality of the site is fairly standard. There are 1-2 plugins on the site, including for a database of information that we maintain. It’s variable based on location.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with a number of people including Haley (Project Manager), Peter (Director of Technology), Derrick (VP and Creative Director), Marla (Digital Marketing Strategist), and Jesse (CEO). 

How did you come to work with Solid Digital?

When I was looking for an agency, it was important to me to work with a smaller company that was local. It’s valuable to have someone in your marketplace that understands you as a company.

I first found Solid Digital on Clutch. There were great reviews there from others who’d engaged with Solid Digital, so I knew they would fit my parameters. Additionally, I came across Derrick’s Q&A featured on their website. What spoke to me was when he said he wants to be known for being the creative guy who gives a s***. I knew I needed to work with him then and there.

My personal interactions with them set them apart. A lot of people could have developed our website from a technical perspective, but Solid Digital was able to hold our hand through the entire process, which was needed, as we’d last redeveloped the site about 10 years ago. It was clear from our first phone call that they had the right personalities to do this.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $90,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them since March 2021, and we launched site in October 2021. There’s now an annual service agreement in place.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

Users time on site has significantly increased, as has the depth to which people navigate into our site.

How did Solid Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

Solid Digital’s team is on it all the time. They have a portal they use to manage interactions with our team where we can submit questions, suggestions or directions. We receive nearly immediate responses and acknowledgments that they are working toward an answer.

Management is really tight. We never have to wonder where we stand or if we will meet a deadline. There have been weekly meetings throughout almost the entire project.

Basecamp serves as our connection and collaboration tool. Solid Digital is Quick to schedule a meeting any time we put out an item on Basecamp that they think will be better handled by a conversation.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their people stand out as very focused on satisfying their customers and clients and understanding the personality of our organization. Solid Digital’s team wove that information into our new site.

Are there any areas they could improve?

From our perspective, the whole experience was done really well.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s important for the person at the top to be as engaged as possible with Solid Digital’s team, as well as your own team. This will ensure the work is staying on task and that there aren’t any unanswered questions floating around. You can hand off some responsibilities, but just ensure everything is being actioned across both organizations.  

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the Marketing Director of Brandtrust, a research and brand strategy firm that applies methodologies grounded in the applied social and behavioral sciences to unleash the power of Human Truth and drive positive change for brands and businesses.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Solid Digital?

We were looking to refresh our website, not only with a brand refresh but also by creating a better UX for our clients, employees, and other partners.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

One of Solid digital’s many strengths is their onboarding and discovery phases. Solid Digital didn’t disappear into a black box and return with a completed website. Their standard practice is to have a few key meetings to clarify goals, learn their clients’ business extensively, understand the audience who they are designing for, and beyond. They invited not only the core client team but also a larger cross-functional stakeholder group to make sure that all goals and expectations were aligned—facilitating these meetings like consulting pros and asking the sometimes hard questions. They did all this work before they designed a single wireframe.

Following the completion of the “Learn” phase, we dove into the strategy and creation phases where all the visual fun began. I found the weekly meetings with my project manager and lead designer incredibly helpful, especially clarifying what was needed on our end so that I could meet due dates. I cannot emphasize enough how much I appreciated my project manager during the entire engagement. She was organized, candid, and communicative to where I never had to nudge her for a single thing. She was always 10 steps ahead of me. 

When it came time to launch, the Solid Digital team did a great job making sure the work and the client team were celebrated—something we usually overlook once a project is completed before moving onto the next. Although they tested the site extensively prior to launch, the entire Solid team was at the ready during launch day to make sure all went smoothly. I felt very supported. 

Additionally, Solid Digital trained us on the backend of the site to be able to problem solve and change things as needed, as well as a full SEO training. 

What is the team composition?

Our main points of contact and project leaders were Hayley (Project Manager) and Pete (UX/UI Designer). Our interactions with everyone — from Jesse (Partner & CEO), Marla (Digital Marketing Strategist), Derek (VP & Creative Director),  and Diana (Experience Director) — were wonderful. Moreover, we always felt the support of the large team behind the handful of people that we were working directly with.

How did you come to work with Solid Digital?

I was searching in early 2020 for an agency based in Chicago so we’d support our local economy and have an opportunity to meet in-person for the key upfront meetings. Then, COVID-19 happened, and when we finally got around interviewing for our selection process, I’d found Solid Digital through a Google search. Our defining factors were that they had some sort of home base in Chicago and expertise in UX and user journey.

What is the status of this engagement?

We officially engaged with Solid Digital in October 2020. The project would’ve been completed in April but we needed a couple of longer extensions, so the website was launched in early June 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The website has been live for 4 months, and we’ve seen a slight uptick traffic and inbound requests so far. We’ve received compliments from clients and internally at Brandtrust regarding the ease of use and available information. Overall, Solid Digital gave us a bit of a brand refresh channeled through website design. They created a style board from the elements on the website, and we’ve implemented them into our brand style guidelines. Everything they did has been adopted company-wide.

In summary, Solid Digital put together exactly what we were looking for, a modern and brighter updated version of our website with the tools to collect the user journey analytics we desire. It has positively impacted the user journey, leading our users from one step to the next based on their needs and interests.

How did Solid Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

The team was incredibly communicative and stuck to an established timeline. We had weekly meetings with the project manager who oversaw where we stood along the journey, and they were incredibly helpful and guided us through the process. 

Also, they were great at setting expectations and asking for what they needed from us. Solid Digital went out of their way to make things as easy as possible — they took much of the heavyweight. Overall, they felt like an extension of our team, which was ideal for this project. I honestly can’t stress enough how communicative and organized they were.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We really enjoyed how candid and collaborative the entire team was to work with. It was an all-hands-on-deck project between Solid Digital and our stakeholders and we felt that our opinions and desires were heard all along the way. The trust they established with us enabled a very productive project and partnership. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have anything. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you’re internally prepared to put in the time and work on your end. A project like this isn’t something that you should put into a black box. The best experience is a collaborative one and Solid Digital can take you on that journey. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing director of Therapeutic Associates Physical Therapy, a private practice physical therapy organization on the West Coast. We’re one of the largest practices in the US.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Solid Digital?

We hadn’t updated our website in over four years, so our goal was to have a complete overhaul website rebuild. We also wanted to achieve more growth through our digital marketing efforts and an improved strategy.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The first phase of our engagement was a learning phase. We had the opportunity to meet with Solid Digital and share our story, business model, and growth goals. They asked us a lot of questions that allowed them to dig deeper into our digital presence.

Then, we entered a phase where Solid Digital worked closely with us to present ideas, models, and designs for the website. From there, we went into the build phase. They built our site on WordPress because it made sense to us to keep working on the same platform as our previous website was.

Subsequently, we entered the launch phase, and now, we’re in the post-launch phase, where they’re working on bugs and adjusting details. We hope to continue our partnership with Solid Digital on a digital growth phase.

We intend to optimize our digital footprint through SEO, so we will be working with them to identify a content strategy. We also want to get more opportunities with paid advertising and other efforts of that nature to support our growth as we move forward.

What is the team composition?

We work with a core group of five people from Solid Digital, but we’ve worked with other team members throughout the various phases. In total, we’ve worked directly with 5–8 people, and I assume that more people are working on our project in the background.

How did you come to work with Solid Digital?

We went through an RFP process, and Solid Digital was one of the companies that we looked at. We were trying to find someone local to us, and we saw that they had offices in Portland and Chicago, so we reached out to them.

Then, we went through an interview process. We really liked what they shared, their core values, and how they present themselves. They seemed like a fun group to work with.

We shared very similar core values, and their vision aligned to where we wanted to go, so we partnered with them. One of the key factors in our decision was working with someone who was really engaged and enthusiastic about our project, and Solid Digital came forward right out of the gates showing that presence.

We also wanted to ensure that the group that we were working with was very open to ongoing communication, and they shared that early in the process.

How much have you invested with them?

The website development cost less than $80,000, but we plan to continue working with them on an ongoing basis, and the cost is still to be defined.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2020, and they launched the site in June 2021. We continue working with them to support our website, and we’re partnering with them on their digital growth program as well.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

We’ve seen an increase in form submissions and conversion rates, which we can generate more clearly now — that was something that we couldn’t do before.

We didn’t have a good platform before, so if a lead came through our site, we couldn’t see if it became a patient or not. Now, we have a better way to measure the success of our campaigns because we can see the traffic on the site and the conversion rate, and in the back end, we can see if the leads become actual patients.

Compared to our previous website, our new one is significantly different and better.

How did Solid Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

Solid Digital’s project management is very solid, and they offer great communication to ensure that everything is moving forward smoothly. They perform really well and have good systems in place.

They also seem to communicate very well within their team. It is very rare to have someone come to a meeting without being up to speed on a discussion that we had in a previous meeting where they were not present.

Additionally, they’re very good at keeping us up to speed about where we are in each project phase. If something comes up or we have a question, they’re very quick to respond, and we don’t have to wait until the next meeting.

We mainly use Basecamp for project management, where we have ongoing communication and regular updates. We also have a standing meeting where we call the project manager assigned to us and various other meetings where we discuss specific parts of the project or attend to issues.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Solid Digital’s ability to collaborate is impressive. They weren’t on this project because they needed to launch our website but because they wanted.

Additionally, they’re very open to input, feedback, and ideas, and they don’t just push their agenda upon us. Certainly, they’ve provided their feedback, input, and expertise, but they’ve also wanted to hear from us throughout every project phase to ensure that we are satisfied with the result.

Aside from the great things that Solid Digital has done and the product itself, their collaboration is great. Although they had some background working with healthcare companies, they went through a learning process, and they’ve stated throughout various phases that they enjoy working with us because they’re learning a lot. Now, they’ll strengthen their business and will be able to work with other healthcare companies.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No areas of improvement for Solid Digital come to my mind; they have a really well-oiled machine going on. They’re very transparent and clear with agendas and goals, and they ensure that we align with that.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Come into the project with an open mind and be willing to collaborate. Our success came from our willingness to collaborate and provide input, so don’t assume that they will do what you want without your direction.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for Vevo, a music company and joint venture of Sony and Universal. I’m part of the product and engineering team, so we’re in charge of the applications for Vevo.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Solid Digital?

We engaged with Solid Digital to increase our velocity and improve the way we scaled. We have a bunch of partnerships with other smart-TV-connected device platforms in the marketplace, and we were trying to launch faster, but we were limited on people. We wanted to use the experience Solid Digital had working across different platforms.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We assign high-level tasks to Solid Digital. One of these tasks is, for example, getting us GDPR compliant for our app experience in the UK and EU territories. This way, users can opt into certain privacy and data collection choices that are not visible here in the US.

Solid Digital also helps us roadmap items. We have them creating designs to see how our new live page will look like, how the home page is going to be, and how it will function and respond.

Their team is also tasked with the actual implementation. They develop, test, and roll out the different assets to our different partners. We work together on a weekly format, which means we meet with them once a week to go over the deliverables and see where we are at progress-wise.

What is the team composition?

Mackenzie (Digital Project Manager) is the person I work the closest with, but we also work with Cooper (Senior Software Developer) on the weekly meetings. I’ve also met with Amber (Director of Production) and some of the designers on their team.

How did you come to work with Solid Digital?

We chose Solid Digital over a couple of other agencies that we got pitches from. Their knowledge of smart TVs and connected devices is what attracted us to them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We onboarded Solid Digital in January 2021, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

Solid Digital is working on an integration piece for one of our partners, and they’re an integral part of getting that partnership out of the door. They’ve also been creating some designs, and the internal stakeholders are happy with how the things look. Their work has been good so far.

However, there hasn’t been any measurable impact of their work on our business. During the time Solid Digital has been here, we’ve only launched on one partner, but they didn’t have anything to do with the integration and just helped us with the testing.

How did Solid Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

For project management, I would put Solid Digital on the top of agencies I’ve worked with. They’re pretty good and responsive, and our processes and communication are pretty buttoned up.

We communicate using Basecamp, and we also have Slack channels set up. Their work is code-based, and some of our engineers review their code. We use GitHub and Jira to keep track of any open tickets.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Solid Digital’s communication is what separates them from the rest. Every member of their team is located in the same time zone, which makes communication easier. I would work with them again if I went somewhere else.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I haven’t experienced any issues so far — they’ve been great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Know what you want to do overall and see how fast you want to hit the ground with an agency. We took our time because we originally wanted to use them for one purpose, and our engagement shifted towards a more complete engagement.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing and brand manager for a global transportation and logistics company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Solid Digital?

We wanted someone to design and develop a new website for us, as our previous site was about eight years old.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Since our old site’s platform was outdated, they built the new WordPress site from scratch. The nature of our business doesn’t lend itself towards any online sales, so the main goal for the project was to attract potential customers to our service offerings and set ourselves apart from our competitors. We also wanted to increase our digital functionalities, mainly being able to collect inquiries and provide quotes electronically. We provided them with the content and images for the site, but they handled all front- and backend development. Having the new site encouraged us to get set up on several social media platforms as well.

What is the team composition?

We worked with at least six to eight people from their team at any given time. They provided us with developers, design experts, SEO professionals, and a project manager.

How did you come to work with Solid Digital?

I found them through an Internet search. Their team seemed to be a good size, not too big or too small. We also like that they were based in Chicago, and they were quick in responding to our inquiry. Jesse (Partner & CEO) made the engagement feel warm from our first interaction.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $40,000 with them on the site development project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve worked together since April 2020. Since the proposed launch, October 2020, Solid Digital continues to provide us with maintenance and hosting services. We’re hoping to work with them on another project later this year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

I don’t have exact numbers, but every relevant metric has gone up since our new site launched. Between the updated feel of the site and our expanded online presence due to our new social media pages, site traffic has steadily increased over the past several months. They’ve also taught us how to update and add content to the site, which has been really helpful.

How did Solid Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

Our assigned project manager checked in with us at least once a week. We communicated frequently via Basecamp, keeping the engagement very transparent and accessible. If our project manager couldn’t answer a question, she would find out and get back to us quickly. We also collaborated via G-Suite tools.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their people make them stand out from the competition. In looking for a partner for this project, we wanted to make sure our company’s ideals, goals, and personality matched up well with the vendor we chose to work with. Their team was very caring and worked to understand why we wanted certain site aspects to be a certain way. They conducted extensive research into what our top competitors were doing as well. The other vendors we looked into working with seemed like they would provide us with a less personal solution.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. They worked tirelessly to make our project successful.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Talk to them. Their communication skills made a project manager shift during our engagement seamless. They’ll be open, honest, and happy to work with you on any concerns.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a data analyst and project manager for the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World. The foundation researches harm reduction and cessation opportunities for smokers. We’re a nonprofit public health organization.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Solid Digital?

We wanted to build a website that addressed nicotine-related data throughout the world. It’s difficult for many researchers to get nicotine- and smoking-related data in general, and our aim was to help researchers and public health experts with their research by leveraging consumer data collected from vendors.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

As we had little background in web design, Solid Digital took us through each step. Their team explained all the project’s technicalities. A major challenge involved the data’s presentation because it needed to be understood by anyone, not just experts. Our main concern was the data although we hadn’t thought much about the website’s design. Solid Digital bridged that gap for us. Their team built the site in PHP and Java, with a MySQL database.

What is the team composition?

We worked with project managers and developers. The project managers lead meetings with the developers present in most of them.

How did you come to work with Solid Digital?

The foundation requires that we initiate an RFP process for all projects. We shortlisted eight of the companies that responded to our request, and Solid Digital was one of two candidates that had built data-centric websites. We chose Solid Digital because their proposal best fit us.

How much have you invested with them?

The project cost $90,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Solid Digital around August 2019 and launched the site in January 2021. We also had a one-month service agreement with them to troubleshoot any website challenges.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Solid Digital had several experts present during every meeting, which was one of their best qualities. Their design, development, and content experts gave us firsthand accounts of what would be best for us. Their developers were friendly and willing to go the distance for us. Their entire team was highly professional. Solid Digital met timelines, and any issues came from additional requests that we brought.

How did Solid Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

For project management, they used Basecamp. The platform enabled us to directly contact the developers who quickly responded to us. Their Gantt charts were spot on. Although they had 1–2 days slack times, they didn’t need it.  We had a good information flow coming back and forth, so nothing was ever hidden from us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

This was my first experience working with web developers, but I was impressed by the work. The foundation has multiple websites, and I’ve heard about issues with other vendors. Fortunately, I didn’t face any issues with Solid Digital. We’re impressed and looking to give Solid Digital more work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Solid Digital built graphic visualization components with limitations. The visualizations weren’t as good as the BI tools we normally used. Solid Digital could gain a bit more expertise in that area.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Clients should be certain about their functional requirements. At times, we couldn’t provide answers about certain functionalities and Solid Digital helped us. Having all the information upfront will reduce the time needed to build the product.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We provide a clinical collaboration and communication platform for healthcare organizations from large enterprise acute care to ambulatory physician practices to long-term care facilities. I am the Chief Design Officer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Solid Digital, and what were your goals?

We hired Solid Digital (SD) to provide support and guidance for the more technical issues we were having with our website that was in WordPress using Beaver Builder.

SOLUTION

How did you select Solid Digital and what were the deciding factors?

We heard about Solid Digital from an acquaintance so we interviewed them. Jesse, Derek, and Jessica jumped on a call with us and we loved their attitude and knowledge - they understood the needs and got everything that was important to me. Jesse got what was important to talk about. I loved how Derek jumped into the weeds on tools (such as Elementor) and got into details of strategy, etc. on early calls. This is what sold us on them.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

The scope of work was basically a support contract with us because we weren't ready to redesign the site yet and they were a bit pricey to do that, so we just hired them to be there when we needed help. We also had some specific needs right away such as fixing backend issues and conflicts with custom code from a previous developer.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Here's a rundown of who worked with us. Amber, a great project manager (replaced eventually by Mackenzie). Derek early on as Creative Director for strategy things. Chelsea early on. Jessica set things up and passing us off to Amber. Peter and Michael helped with code things.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

They did a very good job in project management (something I see lacking in some of our other vendors who tend to be less expensive and use up fewer hours, but don't list things out well and therefore miss things - gets haphazard). PM was great for the most part. The work was usually what we expected and done well. There were a couple of little things that we had to go back to them on that weren't right, but that was minimal.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timelines.

Basecamp was great. Their project management was really top-notch. I always felt we communicated well and the process was good. They hit timelines.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

The knowledge, attitude, and listening skills of Jesse and Derek along with their aesthetic sensibilities and ability to understand what was needed and how to address that is what was most impressive at the start and what sold us on Solid Digital. Amber's project management, professionalism, attitude, and hitting deadlines were unique and impressive as well.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Their price was a bit high. They also seemed to really blow through hours too quickly for projects that seemed not to need that much time. We planned on them maintaining the site (which might have been a communication breakdown between us), but we had to ask them to update plugins, etc.

Understandable miscommunication because they thought they were just doing things when we requested things. But, we are used to maintenance from website vendors where as part of $150 or $200 per month, they keep everything updated and give an hour of support, etc.

When we asked them to update plugins, I think it was about 8 hours of work (at $150 per hour). I might be wrong on the details, but something like that. It was surprising and gave insight into how we were burning through hours so quickly. We ended up moving to another vendor with who we have a relationship for other stuff so it made sense and costs less and uses fewer hours to do things like that. So I think it played into our decision some. Though I would definitely consider using Solid Digital again.

Overall, I was happy with them. Also, towards the end of our support hours, I think they had kind of forgotten about us. Amber was getting busy on other things and passed us to Mackenzie who didn't check in much, but we were on support hours, so understandable. Might wanna check-in with customers more often though just to keep that relationship going.